Episode Highlights

0:16 Intro

2:17 What caused the particle pollution spike?

6:28 The health effects of fine particle pollution exposure

10:23 The new EPA particle pollution standard

14:27 Improvements to ozone pollution and the Clean Air Act

18:46 How to advocate for improvement

20:23 Air quality inequity

24:03 Reflecting on 25 years, and looking ahead

25:52 Outro 

Dr. John Balmes, a renowned environmental health sciences expert from the University of California, San Francisco, join Lungcast for a deep dive into the American Lung Association’s newly released 2024 “State of the Air” report. Balmes specifically provides context behind several concerning trends, notably a spike in deadly particle pollution—the highest levels in the past 25 years largely due to wildfires. 

The eye-opening conversation also impresses upon the importance of clean transportation and power generation to help mitigate population-wide risk. 

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